Antsquare launches community marketplace app to help Canadians shop local

Vancouver startup Antsquare announced the launch of its new mobile app today. The app, which is available for Android and iOS, lets locally-minded citizens purchase products and services available in their own neighbourhood.

“Launching Antsquare represents our effort to deliver the best of both shopping worlds — the convenience of online purchasing along with access to local finds, said Antsquare’s Director of Marketing, Alex Volney. “Our goal is to bridge the gap between online and offline sales, stimulate the local economy, promote entrepreneurship, and remove barriers for local artisans to break into the market.”

The app functions as a marketplace, allowing customers to find new products and services based upon their preference and location. Antsquare facilitates the meet-up between buyer and seller, supporting merchants with or without physical stores, and all payments are processed through the app itself. Antsquare says that this process allows merchants to avoid the headaches of logistics and shipping costs while still allowing for a face to face connection with customers.

For now, the company is focused on saturating the Vancouver and Seattle markets, where Antsquare claims it already has over 150 merchants with products and services for sale (a quick search of Toronto shows a few items available, however). Expansion across North America is planned for 2016.

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